Rick Ross arrested on domestic violence charges, including felony battery by strangulation

Days after his ex-girlfriend Jazzma Kendrick publicly accused him of physical abuse, Rick Ross was arrested on domestic violence charges in Miami Beach. The rapper, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m. local time on Thursday, October 1, according to Miami-Dade jail records.

Ross, 50, faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery, both classified as domestic violence-related, according to court records. Bond was set at $5,000, and his arraignment is scheduled for October 22.

The arrest stems from an August 28 incident at Ross's Star Island home, according to an arrest report cited by NBC News and Rolling Stone. A woman who told police she had been living with Ross for about a year said an argument escalated after Ross accused her of cheating and slapped her, then restricted her breathing by twisting the collar of her hoodie and slammed her against a wall, leaving visible injuries.

The woman reported the incident to police on September 29, more than a month later, and provided photographic evidence with timestamps that appeared to corroborate her account, according to the report. Miami Beach Police spokesman Christopher Bess said investigators also obtained surveillance video of the alleged incident. "It paints a picture of a very violent attack," Bess said.

Ross surrendered to Miami Beach police on Thursday morning on the advice of his attorney, according to the arrest affidavit. He appeared in bond court by video wearing a red jail outfit, where his lawyer Bradley Horenstein asked the judge to expedite his release. Judge Mindy Glazer responded that she did not know who Ross was and that he would be treated fairly like everyone else, then set bond.

After his release, Ross told reporters outside the jail that he was "totally innocent of these fabricated allegations made against me." His attorneys, Steve Sadow and Horenstein, said in a statement that Ross is "being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear" and that he has pleaded not guilty.

The arrest came days after Kendrick posted images on Instagram showing a swollen lip she said was caused by Ross, along with messages about leaving an abusive partner. Ross has not publicly responded to those specific allegations, and it is unclear whether they are connected to the criminal case.

Ross is a Grammy-nominated artist and longtime Miami resident who released his 12th studio album, Set in Stone, in July. He has not issued a statement beyond his comments outside the jail.